Calorie Calculator
Free Daily Calorie Calculator for Men and Women. Calculate How Many Calories You Should Eat.
Use our free calorie calculator to estimate how many calories you should eat each day to achieve your goals. Simply select your intention—lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight—and get a personalized estimate based on your unique metrics. Our calculator is accurate for both men and women, with imperial (pounds/feet) and metric (kilograms/centimeters) options available.
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Total Daily Calories
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Discover More About Your Calories Below
What is a Calorie?
A calorie is a unit of energy that measures how much energy food and drinks provide to your body. Your body uses this energy to support essential functions like breathing, circulation, and maintaining body temperature, as well as daily activities like walking, working, and exercise.
Understanding calories can help you make informed decisions about your nutrition and health goals. Different foods contain different amounts of calories based on their macronutrient content—proteins and carbohydrates provide about 4 calories per gram, while fats provide about 9 calories per gram.
The number of calories your body needs each day varies based on factors like your age, height, weight, biological sex, and activity level. Getting the right amount of calories helps support your body's functions and can help you work toward your health goals, whether that's losing weight, maintaining your current weight, or gaining weight.
The Purpose of a Calorie Calculator
A calorie calculator estimates how many calories your body may need each day based on your unique characteristics and goals. This tool uses your age, height, weight, biological sex, and activity level to provide a personalized calorie estimate that can be a starting point for your nutrition planning.
Calorie calculators can be particularly helpful when you're trying to understand your body's energy needs for different health goals. Whether you're looking to lose weight, maintain your current weight, or gain weight, having an estimated calorie range provides a framework for making nutrition decisions that support your future self.
These calculators typically use scientifically validated equations like the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and then adjust for your activity level. While individual results may vary, calorie calculators offer a convenient way to establish baseline for your calorie need while supporting your goals. Another option for more personalized guidance would be to work with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian.
For a deeper understanding of your total daily energy expenditure, you may also want to explore our TDEE Calculator, which provides additional context about how your body burns calories throughout the day.
Mifflin-St Jeor Equation
Our Calorie Calculator Formula
This calorie calculator relies on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, a scientifically validated formula commonly used in health research to estimate basal metabolic rate (BMR) across diverse populations. Determining your BMR provides the foundation for calculating your daily calorie needs, since it represents the baseline energy your body requires before adding in activity and movement.
The Mifflin-St Jeor BMR Formulas
For Women:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) - 161
For Men:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5
What The Equation Does
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)—the number of calories your body needs to maintain essential functions while at rest. This calculation takes into account your weight, height, age, and biological sex, as these characteristics significantly influence your baseline energy requirements.
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The equation uses different formulas for men and women, with a 166-calorie difference between the two. This distinction reflects physiological differences, as men typically carry more muscle mass and maintain higher baseline metabolic rates compared to women of similar body size and age.
From BMR to Daily Calorie Needs
Your BMR represents only your resting metabolic rate—the calories needed if you were completely inactive. To determine your total daily calorie needs, your BMR gets multiplied by an activity factor ranging from 1.2 to 1.9, which accounts for your daily movement, exercise, and even the energy required to digest food.
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This is where our calorie calculator differs slightly from our TDEE Calculator—both use the same foundational equation, but this tool adds an extra step by letting you select your specific goal (lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight) to provide a more targeted calorie range.
Why Metric Units
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation uses specific numerical multipliers (10 for weight, 6.25 for height) that were calibrated using metric measurements during the original research. These numbers produce accurate BMR estimates only when weight is measured in kilograms and height in centimeters.
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Attempting to use pounds and inches with these multipliers would yield incorrect results. Our calorie calculator automatically converts imperial measurements to metric behind the scenes, so you can input your measurements in whichever system you prefer while still receiving accurate estimates.
How to Calculate Your Daily Calorie Needs
Calculating your daily calorie needs involves a two-step process that first determines your resting metabolic rate, then adjusts for your activity level and goals. While you can perform these calculations manually using the steps below, our calorie calculator handles all the math instantly and provides personalized results based on whether you want to lose, maintain, or gain weight.
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Step One
Calculate Your BMR (explained above)
Formula for Women:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) - 161
Formula for Men:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5
If using imperial units, convert to metric first:
Pounds ÷ 2.205 = kilograms
(Feet × 12 + inches) × 2.54 = centimeters
Example: 25-year-old woman, 5'6", 150 lbs
Convert: 68.0 kg, 167.6 cm
BMR = (10 × 68.0) + (6.25 × 167.6) - (5 × 25) - 161 = 1,442 calories
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Step Two
Apply Activity Multiplier
Multiply your BMR by your activity level:
Sedentary (little/no exercise): BMR × 1.2
Light (1-2 days/week): BMR × 1.375
Moderate (3-5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
Heavy (6-7 days/week): BMR × 1.725
Athlete (2x daily): BMR × 1.9
Example continued:
1,442 × 1.375 (light exercise) = 1,983 calories/day
​Instead of calculating manually, our free calorie calculator provides instant results in either metric or imperial units. Simply choose your preferred measurement system, enter your information, select your goal (lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight), and click calculate. The calculator uses the same scientifically validated formulas shown above—giving you personalized calorie estimates without manual calculation.
How Many Calories Should I Eat?
How many calories should I eat? This is one of the most common health questions people ask, and the answer depends entirely on your individual circumstances and goals. There's no universal "right" number of daily calories that works for everyone, as your body's energy needs are shaped by factors like your age, height, weight, biological sex, activity level, and more.
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Your daily calorie needs also change based on your health goals. Someone working to lose weight may benefit from eating fewer calories than their body burns, while someone trying to gain weight would eat more. If you're content with your current weight, eating roughly the same amount of calories your body uses each day can help you maintain where you are.
Individual Factors Determine Calorie Needs
The number of calories you should eat daily is influenced by factors such as your age, biological sex, height and current weight. Taller individuals and those with more body mass typically require more calories to support their body's functions.
Activity level significantly impacts how many calories you should consume each day. Someone who spends most of their day sitting may need considerably fewer calories than someone with a physically demanding job or regular exercise routine. These individual differences can create daily calorie requirement variations of 500 to 1,000+ calories between two people of similar size.
Your Health Goals Shape Your Calorie Intake
The calories you should eat depend largely on what you're trying to accomplish. Weight loss typically involves creating a calorie deficit, where you consume fewer calories than your body burns. Weight gain requires a calorie surplus, where you eat more than your body expends. Maintenance means matching your calorie intake to your body's daily energy needs.
Each approach requires different calorie targets, which is why our calorie calculator asks you to select your intention before providing an estimate. Your goal is personal to you and we want to support you as best as we can.
Finding Your Personal Daily Calorie Target
Calorie calculators like this one provide estimated ranges based on population research and validated equations. These estimates offer a helpful starting point for determining how many calories you should eat, though metabolism, muscle mass, genetics, and other factors may influence your actual needs.
Many healthcare professionals suggest monitoring how your body responds over several weeks and adjusting your calorie intake based on real-world results. If you have specific health conditions or concerns about your daily calorie needs, consulting with a registered dietitian or healthcare provider can offer more personalized guidance.
Using our free calorie calculator above, you can get an estimated calorie range that aligns with your goals in seconds. You can also explore our BMR Calculator to understand your baseline metabolic rate, or use our TDEE Calculator for a detailed look at your total daily energy expenditure.
How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?
How many calories should I eat to lose weight? This depends on your current calorie needs and how quickly you want to achieve your goal. Weight loss typically occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body burns, creating what's known as a calorie deficit. The size of this deficit influences the pace of weight loss, though individual results may vary based on metabolism, body composition, and other factors.
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Most health research suggests that a daily calorie deficit of 250 to 500 calories may support gradual weight loss for many people, often resulting in approximately 0.5 to 1 pound of weight loss per week. This moderate approach can help you lose weight while still providing your body with adequate nutrition and energy for daily activities.
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Our calorie calculator automatically adjusts your estimated calorie needs when you select "Lose Weight" as your intention. The calculator provides a calorie range below your maintenance needs, designed to create a moderate deficit that may support your weight loss goals. This estimate serves as a starting point—you can monitor your progress over several weeks and adjust your intake based on how your body responds.
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It's worth noting that extremely low calorie intake can work against your goals in multiple ways. Severe calorie restriction may leave you feeling fatigued, overly hungry, or lacking the energy needed for daily life. Research also suggests that when calorie intake drops too low for extended periods, your body may adapt by reducing the number of calories it burns—a natural survival response that can slow progress toward your goals.
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Additionally, extreme restriction can be difficult to maintain consistently over time, often leading to cycles of restriction and overeating that make steady progress more challenging. A moderate, sustainable calorie deficit that you can maintain consistently tends to be more effective for long-term success than aggressive restriction that's difficult to sustain.
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Healthcare professionals typically recommend that women avoid eating fewer than 1,200 calories per day and men avoid going below 1,500 calories per day, unless working directly with a medical provider. The goal is to support your body while working toward your health objectives, not to deprive it of essential nutrition. Being gentle and consistent with your approach often leads to better results than trying to rush the process.
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For additional context on creating an effective calorie deficit, you may find our Calorie Deficit Calculator helpful. If you're curious about your baseline metabolic needs, our BMR Calculator can provide insights into how many calories your body burns at rest.
How Many Calories Should I Eat to Gain Weight?
How many calories should I eat to gain weight? This depends on your current calorie needs and how quickly you want to work toward your goal. Weight gain typically occurs when you consume more calories than your body burns, creating what's known as a calorie surplus. The size of this surplus influences the pace of weight gain, though individual results can vary based on metabolism, body composition, and other factors.
Most health research suggests that a daily calorie surplus of 250 to 500 calories may support gradual weight gain for many people, often resulting in approximately 0.5 to 1 pound of weight gain per week. This moderate approach can help you gain weight while supporting your body with quality nutrition and steady progress toward your goals. Larger surpluses may lead to faster initial results, but can be more challenging to maintain long-term and should be approached thoughtfully.
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Our calorie calculator automatically adjusts your estimated calorie needs when you select "Gain Weight" as your intention. The calculator provides a calorie range above your maintenance needs, designed to create a moderate surplus that may support your weight gain goals. This estimate serves as a starting point—you can monitor your progress over several weeks and adjust your intake based on how your body responds.
Gaining weight in a healthy way means providing your body with adequate nutrition and energy to support the additional mass. Many people working toward weight gain find it helpful to focus on nutrient-dense foods that provide calories along with essential vitamins, minerals, and protein. The goal is to nourish your body and support your health objectives, whether you're building muscle, recovering from illness, or simply working toward a weight that feels right for you.
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For additional context on your total daily energy expenditure, you may find our TDEE Calculator helpful. If you're curious about your baseline metabolic needs, our BMR Calculator can provide info into how many calories your body burns at rest.
Calorie Calculator for Women and Men
This calorie calculator provides estimates for both women and men using gender-specific formulas that account for physiological differences in metabolism and body composition. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation applies different calculations based on biological sex, with a 166-calorie difference between the formulas—
a distinction rooted in research on how male and female bodies typically burn energy at rest.
Men generally require more calories than women of similar age, height, and weight due to differences in body composition. On average, male bodies tend to naturally carry a higher percentage of muscle mass and lower percentage of body fat compared to female bodies of equivalent size. Since muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue, this difference in composition contributes to higher baseline metabolic rates in men.
The calorie calculator for women accounts for factors that influence female metabolism, including naturally higher body fat percentages, which serve important biological functions related to hormone production and reproductive health. Women's calorie needs can also fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and during menopause, though these natural variations are normal parts of female physiology.
The calorie calculator for men reflects the typically higher energy requirements associated with greater muscle mass and larger body size. However, individual variation exists within both sexes—some women naturally carry more muscle mass and have higher calorie needs, while some men may have lower requirements based on their unique body composition and metabolism.
Both versions of the calculator use the same underlying approach: calculating your basal metabolic rate, adjusting for activity level, and then providing a calorie range based on your selected goal. Whether you're male or female, the calculator offers personalized estimates that consider your biological sex as one of several factors influencing your daily calorie needs.
Why Calorie Needs Matter
Eating for Your Body
Understanding your calorie needs isn't about restriction or deprivation—it's about giving your body the right amount of energy to function optimally. When you consistently eat too few calories, your body may not get the nutrients it needs to support essential functions like immune health, hormone production, and tissue repair. When you consistently eat more calories than your body uses, the excess energy gets stored, which can lead to unintended weight gain over time.
Finding the balance that works for your body can support your overall health and help you feel your best. Eating within your calorie needs means providing adequate fuel for daily activities, supporting your metabolism, and nourishing your body with the energy it requires.
Supporting Your Body's Essential Functions
Your body uses calories to power everything from breathing and circulation to thinking and moving. When calorie intake falls too low for extended periods, your body may struggle to maintain these essential functions effectively. Adequate calorie intake helps ensure your body has the energy needed for immune function, wound healing, maintaining healthy skin and hair, and regulating hormones that influence mood, sleep, and overall wellbeing.
Maintaining Energy for Daily Life
Eating enough calories helps you maintain the energy needed to engage fully in your day. Appropriate calorie intake supports mental clarity, physical stamina, and the ability to handle daily stressors. When your body receives adequate fuel, you're more likely to feel energized for work, social activities, exercise, and the things that matter most to you.
Creating Sustainable Health Habits
Understanding your calorie needs can help you build a healthy relationship with food based on nourishing your body, rather than restriction. When you eat an appropriate amount for your body and goals, you're more likely to feel satisfied, maintain consistent energy levels, and avoid the extreme hunger that can lead to overeating. This balanced approach tends to be more sustainable long-term than cycles of severe restriction followed by overconsumption.
Honoring Your Individual Needs
Your calorie needs are unique to you and may change throughout different seasons of life. Rather than comparing yourself to others or following rigid rules, paying attention to how your body feels can guide you toward the eating pattern that supports your individual health. Working with healthcare professionals like registered dietitians can provide additional personalized guidance tailored to your circumstances.
Factors That Affect Your Daily Calorie Needs
Your daily calorie needs aren't determined by a single factor—multiple elements work together to influence how much energy your body requires each day. While calorie calculators use key variables like age, height, weight, biological sex, and activity level to provide estimates, many other factors can affect your individual calorie needs. Understanding these influences can help explain why calorie requirements vary so much from person to person, even among people of similar size and activity levels.
Age and Metabolic Changes
Age significantly influences your calorie needs, with metabolic rate typically decreasing gradually as you get older. This occurs partly because people tend to lose muscle mass and gain fat mass with age, though staying physically active and maintaining muscle through strength training can help minimize this decline.
Body Composition and Muscle Mass
Your unique body composition significantly influences your calorie expenditure, as muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does. If you've built muscle through strength training or sports, you may find your actual calorie needs are higher than standard calculator estimates.
Activity Level and Daily Movement
Physical activity is one of the most variable factors affecting calorie needs, with differences creating variations of 500 to 1,000+ calories per day between individuals. This includes both intentional exercise and daily movement like walking, standing, and fidgeting throughout the day.
Hormones and Metabolic Function
Hormones all play important roles in metabolism and daily calorie needs. Hormonal fluctuations are normal throughout life stages, monthly cycles, and daily rhythms, though working with healthcare providers for diagnosed hormonal conditions helps ensure your approach supports your health.
Sleep Quality and Duration
Sleep patterns can influence your body's calorie needs and how efficiently you use energy. Research suggests that insufficient sleep may affect hormones that regulate hunger and metabolism, with most adults benefiting from 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night for optimal metabolic function.
Genetics and Individual Metabolism
Your genetic makeup may play a role in determining your baseline metabolic rate and how efficiently your body uses energy. These genetic differences help explain why calorie calculators provide estimates rather than exact numbers—individual variation means your actual needs may differ from calculated averages.
These factors and many others interact in complex ways to determine your unique calorie needs. While our calorie calculator accounts for the primary influences—age, biological sex, height, weight, and activity level—individual variation means your actual needs may differ from the estimate. Monitoring how your body responds over time and adjusting based on your results and how you feel can help you find the calorie intake that works best for you. For additional tools to understand your energy needs, explore our our other free Calculators.
Related Calorie and Health Calculators
Explore Additional Body Metrics With These Related Calculators
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BMR Calculator
Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate—the calories your body burns at rest for basic functions. Useful for understanding the foundation of your metabolism and your unique calorie needs.
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Calorie Deficit Calc.
Determine the calorie deficit needed to reach your weight loss goals within a specific timeframe. Helps you create a sustainable plan by showing how different deficit levels affect your progress timeline.
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BMI Calculator
Calculate your Body Mass Index to see how your weight relates to your height. Useful for understanding where your measurements fall within standard categories based on height-to-weight ratios.
Frequently Asked Questions About Calorie Calculators
Q: How accurate are calorie calculators?
A: Calorie calculators provide estimates based on population research and are typically accurate within 10-15% for most people. Individual factors like muscle mass, genetics, and metabolism can affect your actual needs, so monitor your results over several weeks and adjust as needed.
Q: How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?
A: To gain muscle, you typically need a calorie surplus of 200-500 calories above your maintenance needs, combined with strength training to direct those extra calories toward muscle growth. Our calculator provides this range when you select "Gain Weight" as your intention.
Q: Why do women typically need fewer calories than men?
A: Women typically need 200-400 fewer calories daily than men of the same weight due to naturally higher essential body fat percentages and lower muscle mass on average. Additionally, women may experience calorie need fluctuations of 100-300 calories throughout their menstrual cycle due to hormonal changes.
Q: How do I know if I'm eating the right amount of calories?
A: Monitor your energy levels, hunger, and progress toward your goals over 2-4 weeks to assess whether your calorie intake is appropriate. If you consistently feel exhausted, extremely hungry, or aren't seeing expected results, you may need to adjust your intake.
Q: Can I lose weight by just cutting calories without exercise?
A: Weight loss can occur through calorie reduction alone, as creating a calorie deficit is the primary driver of weight loss. However, combining moderate calorie reduction with physical activity may support better long-term results and help preserve muscle mass.
Q: How do I know if my calorie calculation is accurate for me?
A: Track your weight and food intake for 2-4 weeks while eating at your calculated calorie level. If you're maintaining weight when aiming to maintain, or losing/gaining as intended, your calculation is accurate; if results differ, adjust your intake accordingly.
Q: How many calories should I cut to lose 1 pound per week?
A: A deficit of approximately 500 calories per day may support a weight loss rate of about 1 pound per week for many people. Individual results can vary based on metabolism, starting weight, and other factors.
Q: Why does my weight fluctuate even when I eat the same calories every day?
A: Daily weight fluctuations of 1-5 pounds are normal due to water retention, digestion, hormones, and sodium intake. Focus on weekly average weight trends over 3-4 weeks rather than daily numbers to assess true progress.
Q: What happens if I eat too few calories for too long?
A: Eating too few calories for extended periods may slow your metabolism, leave you feeling fatigued, and make it difficult to get adequate nutrition. Severe restriction can also make consistent progress more challenging and may lead to cycles of restriction and overeating.
Q: Do calorie needs change as I lose or gain weight?
A: Yes, your calorie needs typically decrease as you lose weight and increase as you gain weight, since larger bodies require more energy to maintain. Recalculating your calorie needs every 10-15 pounds of weight change can help ensure your intake remains appropriate for your current size.
A Note from Health Calcz
Disclaimer* - This calorie calculator provides educational information based on standard calorie estimation formulas. Results are estimates for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis, treatment decisions, or as nutrition prescriptions. Calorie calculators use population averages and may not reflect individual metabolic rates. Factors including muscle mass, genetics, hormones, medical conditions, and metabolic history affect daily calorie needs in ways calorie calculators cannot fully assess. This tool and information are not medical or nutritional advice and don't replace consultation with qualified healthcare professionals. For personalized nutrition guidance, calorie targets, weight management support, or concerns about your calorie calculator results, consult your doctor or registered dietitian. If you have medical conditions affecting metabolism or questions about appropriate calorie intake, contact your healthcare provider.